Sticks and Staples......by (Angela) Jean

I took advantage of the beautiful spring weather today and spent some time outside with the family. While on a walk along the path in our neighbourhood, I had a an idea.

Let me back up.... I bought this Boston Ivy at the end of last season.
My plan was to have it grow up along the fence, but I knew it would need some help getting started. I have been thinking about buying some kind of lattice to attach to the fence, and have gone to a few garden centres but still hadn't found something I really liked. Plus, I wasn't thrilled to pay a lot of money for something that would eventually be completely covered up.



So, back to the path. I spotted some dried out thistle branches along the ravine, and loved the colour of them. Much to the delight of the children, and the embarrassment of their father, I picked a big pile of them and carried them home.

I trimmed the branches so they would lie as flat as possible and then attached them to the fence with a staple gun. They were very light so the staples held them with no problems.

I love the way it turned out. It's prettier than any lattice I could have purchased at a store and best of all? It was free!

(you can click on the photos to enlarge them and see more detail)

The final step was to train the ivy along some of the branches. Now we'll just wait to see how it grows this year. I'll be sure to post an update for you later in the season.